


Fine-tuning

by Quoshara



Series: Ebb and Flow [5]
Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: Boats and Ships, Computers, Drunkenness, M/M, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-05
Updated: 2012-05-05
Packaged: 2017-11-04 21:36:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/398446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quoshara/pseuds/Quoshara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which there is a celebratory party, Murray attempts higher mathematics, Cody suffers from foot-in-mouth, Nick just wants some sleep, and everyone drinks too much wine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fine-tuning

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Speak_me_fair and Hardboiledbaby for the beta. They protected many a comma from abuse and stopped...my overuse...of ellipses. Without their comments Nick would have sounded much less like Nick.
> 
> Any post beta errors are my own. (Doh!)
> 
> Also my amazing partner, Speak_me_fair, has written a story which fits into the series between Chapters Four and Five. It's a bit of Nick's POV and can be found here: ( [Sympathetic Success](http://pier56.livejournal.com/122190.html) ) It's not absolutely necessary to read it to understand what's going on in this part, but it will certainly explain Nick's mind-set.

* * *

Nick could have been home hours ago. The get-together with his drill unit was just the same old faces, the same old jokes and the same old gags. There were times when he wondered if there was something in the water at the base that dropped men's emotional maturity down to the level of a twelve year old.

Fart jokes and loud burps rang through the bar, laughter and roughhousing and— _God damn it! If Michaels tried to noogie him one more time he was going to flatten the guy, drunk or not!_ – tales of good old times.

Nick just didn't seem to have the patience for it that he used to have. Maybe it was simply because drill weekends were an escape for the rest of the guys and for him, at least lately, it was all becoming just one more distraction that kept him from doing what he wanted to be doing and being where he wanted to be. 

He did, however, want Cody and Murray to have some 'couple time' even if it was in a room full of other people. So he'd joined his unit buddies for two or three beers and managed to stretch the time out until about midnight, when he could no longer pretend that the company was more entertaining than the thought of home. 

  


* * *

  


Cody should have known better than to let Murray drink that much. Well, not _let_ exactly, because Murray could make his own decisions, or at least he probably could have until the fifth glass that Papa Antonio had pressed on him. After that it was all giggles and laughing and Cody himself wasn't much better off. But everyone was celebrating and Papa Antonio was so happy about his daughter, Gina, getting engaged to Salvatore that it would almost have been an insult to turn down 'just one more' glass to toast to the happy couple.

Fortunately, the party had been at _Straightaways_ so they didn't have to worry about driving home or calling a cab, although they were both so unsteady that Papa Antonio had made his nephew, Marco, walk them back to the boat. It was probably a good thing, because for some reason the walk seemed very long and it must have been darker than usual or something because they passed the entrance to their slip twice before Marco grabbed them each by an arm and manhandled them down the gangway to the boat.

Murray tumbled over the side of the boat, landing on the deck with a loud thump and a snorting giggle. "Someone moved the steps."

"Nah... here they are," Cody pointed to them. But honestly, mislocated steps or not, Cody hadn't been much more graceful than Murray when he climbed aboard. 

"Night, Marco." He waved as he went to help Murray to his feet.

"Yeah… Night…um…" Murray blinked blankly.

"Marco," Cody prompted.

"Marco." Murray raised a hand to wave and just missed smacking Cody in the face.

"Whoa…" Cody grabbed Murray's hand and pulled him to his feet. "Let's get inside, before we both tumble over the side."

It was a bit of a struggle but they both made it into the salon and then down the steps and into Cody and Nick's cabin without doing themselves any major injuries.

Murray sprawled out over Cody's bunk, "I think I've had just bit much... if you take the volume of wine and divide it by my body mass you get...you get... um..... too much wine." His grin was just this side of goofy and so adorable that Cody couldn't resist kissing him.

"Mmmmmm…" Murray chuckled. "What time is Nick coming home?"

"Who knows?" 

In the three months since they'd gotten together as more than friends, the two of them hadn't had very much time alone. Not that Nick begrudged them the time, or made them feel uncomfortable about it. In fact, he'd even offered to swap beds with Murray, but with all of the equipment in Murray's cabin, blinking lights and little alarms that went off at odd hours and printers that came on without warning, not to mention Murray's odd spells of insomnia, it just hadn't been practical. Nick got no sleep, and Murray freaked out when he came in one morning to find a pillow shoved up against the side of his CPU to block out the sound of the fan running.

So they had returned to the status quo as far as normal sleeping arrangements went, and Cody and Murray just 'shared space' when Nick was on a date or at drill or whatever.

"Do you think there might be time…?" Murray ventured, peeking up at Cody with a bashful little grin on his face.

"Time. Yes. Absolutely, there is time." Cody replied, kissing Murray again and then straightening up to kick his shoes off. He somehow managed it without falling over but it was a near thing.

"We have lots of time," Cody repeated, struggling with his shirt and turning almost in a circle in his confusion, "I can do this... if... if... Fuck, I can't get my shirt unbuttoned."

"You're wearing a pullover."

"Oh, yeah... " Cody waggled a finger at Murray. "See... tha's why I love you, 'cause you're--"

"You love me?" Murray interrupted, raising his eyes up from his struggles with his own shirt.

"--'cause you're so...so smart." Cody continued as if Murray hadn't interrupted and then grinned, 

"Yeah…"

"But you love me?" Murray asked, and there was that bashful grin again.

"'Course I do." Cody assured him. "Would I be standin' here naked if I..."

"But you're not naked."

"That's 'cause you keep interrumpting me...."

Murray blinked, "Oh, yeah… I did." He waved a hand and barked out a laugh, "Carry on…"

Cody somehow managed to get his shirt over his head, but now the sleeve was caught on his watch band. He ignored it for the moment, in favor of unzipping his slacks, "Here, Mur… let me help you with that."

Between the two of them they removed Murray's glasses, his button-down and his t-shirt, but somehow the t-shirt had gotten tangled up in Cody's pullover and they were now both hanging from Cody's wrist. 

"Mmmm… love you," Cody murmured, leaning in to kiss Murray.

"Me too. Come here…" Murray gave Cody a tug and they both tumbled on to the bed, laughing. 

"Let me just…." Murray toed off his own shoes and reached down to tug off Cody's khakis, kissing his way around Cody's navel as he worked.

"Oh, yeah. Mur… just… a bit…. Yeah… there…………….."

  


* * *

  


It was a long drive back to King Harbor, but Nick decided to stop by _Straightaways_ to see if the party was still going on. 

"Nicky! Nicky! Come in, have a drink," Papa Antonio greeted him as he came in the door with a glass of wine and an exuberant hug. "Look at my Gina. Doesn't she look beautiful?"

Nick grinned, taking a long drink while he looked around the room for her. Gina _was_ a lovely girl, but the party had obviously gone on a bit too long for her. Salvatore was seated on one of the lounges, a sleeping Gina gathered against his chest, while he chatted with Marco. "Yes, Papa, she's beautiful."

Papa Antonio chuckled and shook his head, "Children these days…no staying power. But you and me, Nicky, we know how to enjoy ourselves."

Papa splashed some more wine into Nick's glass and clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to make him stumble. "To Gina and Salvatore," Nick raised his glass in salute.

'Gina and Salvatore," Papa joined him and then refilled their glasses. "We have so much to thank you for, Nicky…you and your partners. If you hadn't cleared Salvatore's name he'd probably be on his way to jail right now."

"That's what we do, Papa." Nick said with a smile. "It's nice when your job is helping good people when they need it." Nick took another drink of the wine, feeling it hit his mostly empty stomach with an ominous burn. 

"Well, you certainly helped us, Nicky. You and your _amici migliori._ " Papa said, refilling Nick's glass again.

"Where are Cody and Murray?" Nick asked. He didn't see them anywhere, and with the party winding down, it shouldn't have been difficult.

"They left over an hour ago." Papa laughed, "I think little Murray had a bit too much wine. Does that boy not eat? So skinny."

They had gone home over an hour ago… so if Nick stayed here for another forty-five minutes or so that would give them a good chunk of private time, wouldn't it? Nick sighed. He was tired and really just wanted to go home and sleep. "He eats, Papa. A lot, as a matter of fact. He just seems to burn it off as quick as it goes in."

"He's lucky." Papa said, patting his own somewhat rounded stomach. "Between Mama and Gina, I have to fight my way from the table. So much good food. Mark my words, in two years time, Salvatore? He'll look just like this."

Nick managed to kill the next forty-five minutes – and several more glasses of wine – talking to Papa about baseball (Dodgers and Angels), business (Papa's Fish Market and the Agency) and the upcoming wedding. It was only Nick's insistence and his still-steady walk that kept Papa from sending Marco on another trip to slip seven.

  


* * *

  


All the lights were on in the salon, making Nick squint after the comparative darkness of the slip. He quickly switched them off, leaving just the small light by the stairs. He dropped his jacket over the end of the couch and made a stop in the galley, forcing himself to drink several glasses of water to stave off the dehydration of too much alcohol, before heading down to his cabin.

The lights were on there too, illuminating the two figures soundly sleeping – snoring – in Cody's bunk. 

"Great."

Cody was stretched out, shoes and shirt off, his khaki pants undone and half-way off his hips. Oddly he seemed to have two different shirts wrapped around one wrist and dangling off the side of the bunk. Murray, shirtless as well, was sort of curled up near Cody's hip, his head resting on Cody's stomach and one hand stretched out, the fingers just barely tucked into the waistband of Cody's boxers. Apparently, Papa Antonio's wine had gotten the better of them.

Even as tired as he was, Nick appreciated the picture the two made together – Cody's broad shoulders, tanned and strong, a light dusting of sun-bleached hair over his chest and leading down to where Murray's hand rested, pale and slim. Murray, fair-skinned and wiry, long and elegant where Cody was broader, his expression even more innocent in sleep than it was when he was awake. 

Not that Murray actually _was_ innocent, the noises that Nick had heard coming out of the cabin on occasion more than proved that. He could imagine them, sometimes, what they looked like, how they moved together, and if his imagination made him feel a bit guilty at times, he just laughed it off as being only natural, given what he was hearing.

But this was the first time he'd ever seen them together, really together, and his imagination was actively filling in what would have happened if too much wine hadn't overcome them. And as much wine and beer as he'd had himself, it was all he could do rein it in and catch the low moan that crept out of him, his hand reaching down to adjust his suddenly tight jeans.

_"Ryder, you're a freak,"_ he thought to himself. _"A freak with nowhere to sleep."_

Because even as tired as he was, he knew that there would be no sleeping in Murray's bed. And he obviously couldn't sleep here, could he?

Then again, as much as they'd had to drink, there was very little fear that either of them might wake up and decide to continue their interrupted activities. And there was his own bunk, calling him.

That settled it. Nick stripped down to his boxers and crawled into his bed, switching off the light.

  


* * *

  


Murray woke up a bit disoriented, unsure of where he was until he felt the warm firmness of Cody's skin beneath his cheek. It was still very early but without his glasses the red glow of the bedside clock was unreadable. He was cold and he needed to use the toilet. He slid off the end of the bed, landing on his backside with a slight thump.

"Mur…?"

"'M okay… jus'… bathroom." 

"Mmmm…"

Murray wasn't sure if Cody was even awake. Heck, he wasn't completely sure _he_ was awake. He stumbled into the head, used the toilet and drank several glasses of water, all without turning the light on. When he caught himself standing, eyes closed, and swaying in front of the sink, he was pretty sure that going back to bed was a good idea. 

Murray stumbled back in, crawling into the bunk and snuggling into the warm sleepy body there.

"Cold…"

"Mmmm…" Arms wrapped around Murray, pulling him closer. 

"Nice…"

"Mmmm."

  


* * *

  


The morning sun was already peeking through the blinds when the sound of their neighbor starting up the engine on his _Lazarra_ woke Cody. He just lay there for several moments, his eyes closed, waiting for the wake to stop rocking the Riptide. He didn't feel sick, amazingly enough, more like groggy, as if the previous night's buzz hadn't yet worn off. He turned over on his side and carefully opened his eyes.

Murray's face, soft and sleep swollen, greeted him from the other bunk. 

_"Poor guy,"_ Cody thought, wondering if he'd completely shoved him off the bunk at some point. He could get pretty restless when he'd had a bit to drink.

He was just considering going over to wake him, and perhaps convince him that they should finish their previous night's activities when he noticed the arm wrapped around Murray's waist - the very male and familiar looking arm.

Cody sat up with a start. _"Okay… bad idea. Very bad idea."_

His head and his eyes were suddenly both having an argument with his stomach over which felt the worst. Cody closed his eyes and took several very long, slow breaths before opening them again.

It was Nick alright, spooned up behind Murray with one arm wrapped protectively around him. Cody was speechless for several long moments as he just watched the two men sleep. He knew how warm Nick got when he slept, how cozy it would feel in the circle of his arms. He'd spent a few nights there himself after one of Nick's particularly bad nightmares, joining him for comfort that always began with Cody holding Nick, and ended with Cody in the same place Murray was now. Nick Ryder was a cuddler.

A smile tugged at Cody's lips…and an evil wish for a camera. 

"Nick?" Cody spoke softly.

"Wha--?" The answer was barely a mutter of sound.

"Nick?" 

"Wha—" The answering mutter was a bit louder this time.

Cody put a finger over his lips, "Shhh… you'll wake up Murray."

"Murray?" Nick's eyes suddenly shot open with realization and he leapt out of the bunk, stumbling back against the bulkhead. 

Murray, his warm human blanket having made such a quick departure, tumbled limply out of the other side, "Ow…" 

"How? What? Fuck! Murray, how did you--? Cody, you know I--"

Cody was laughing so hard he couldn't even dredge up the slightest bit of sympathy for either poor stunned Murray, or shocked and panting Nick.

"How did I get down here?" Murray looked around, blinking owlishly and rubbing the elbow he had apparently banged on the deck during his fall.

That just set Cody off again, "Oh, God… If you two could just see your faces."

"Did I fall out of the bunk?" Murray looked from Cody to Nick and back to Cody.

"Ah, babe, I think you just gave a whole new meaning to getting up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Very funny, Cody." Nick growled. He grabbed his trousers off the foot of the bed and began shoving his legs into them. "For a man who just found his lover in bed with his best friend, you're taking this awfully well."

"He what?" Murray blinked again.

"Yeah… you apparently took a little detour during the night, Mur." Nick tugged his shirt on over his head.

"Aww, come on, Nick." Cody was still chuckling. "I know nothing happened." 

"How, Cody? How do you know that?" Nick snapped.

"Because you're straight, Nick… you're not even attracted to men, let alone Murray."

"Hey!" Murray looked up at Cody.

"Wrong answer!" Nick pointed an accusing finger at Cody and then stormed up the stairs.

"What do you mean, _let alone me_?" Murray sounded more than a little hurt.

"I didn't mean it like that Murray… I just meant that, you know, if Nick were attracted to men you wouldn't be his type." Cody explained.

"Well, thank you very much." Murray huffed and started disentangling himself from the bedding and looking for his glasses 

"Aww, Murray. That doesn't matter, because you _are_ very much my type." Cody cajoled.

"Okay…" Murray's smile was back. "I get it, but you need to go talk to Nick."

"Yeah… yeah… I just don't get what upset him. Nothing happened and you have to admit it was kind of funny."

"Well, apparently Nick didn't get the joke," Murray shrugged, finally locating his glasses and putting them on. "Maybe you'd better go explain it to him."

Yeah, okay." Cody headed up the stairs. He honestly didn't know what had set Nick off. Why didn't he see the humor in the whole situation? It wasn't like anything had actually happened. Even if he'd found them both naked in the bed, Cody wouldn't have worried. Hell, he trusted Murray, and more than that, he trusted Ni—

_"Fuck."_

That was it right there. He hadn't said he knew nothing had happened because he trusted both of them… he said that it was because Nick was straight. As though if Nick _wasn't_ straight he'd have done anything different, or let something happen. Nick would never hurt Cody that way. Neither would Murray, of course, but Nick had always had trust issues. That was part of why Cody had always felt so honored to have Nick as a friend, simply because there were so few people that Nick actually trusted.

And somehow with his casual words, Cody had denied that trust.

  


* * *

  


_Idiot. Idiot. Idiot._ The word traveled through Nick's head like a litany. _It's not Cody's fault that you're so messed up._

He had to admit that he'd overreacted. The morning wake-up call of finding himself wrapped all around Murray had been a bit of a shock, but yeah, he should have just laughed it off, and made a mental note that alcohol and the three of them sharing a cabin was no longer a good idea. Next time, if there ever was one, he'd just take his blankets up to the salon and sleep. The couch cushions didn't make the best bed but it's not like he hadn't slept on worse.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs had him moving quickly towards the galley – no, he wasn't hiding he was just – okay, so maybe he was hiding, just a little. But what the fuck was he going to say? _I'm sorry I jumped all over you because things are changing and I hate when that happens?_

"Nick?" Cody appeared in the galley doorway, his face far too serious.

"I'm just making some coffee." He moved quickly to provide that cover, filling the pot with water. "There's a bottle of aspirin on the table if you want some."

"Look, Nick—"

"I'm going to fix some toast too. I doubt anyone's stomach is quite up to bacon and eggs this morning." Nick turned to grab the bread out of the cupboard. "Or… I think there's still a couple of bagels if you'd rather—"

"Come on, Nick." Cody put a hand on Nick's arm and it took all he had not to jerk away. 

"This isn't going to work, is it Cody?"

"What isn't going to work?"

"This. This whole thing." Nick waved his arms around, his posture reflecting his attitude. "You guys don't have any privacy. I don't know where I should be or go, and it's just-- It's not going to work."

He could feel his shoulders begin to slump helplessly and struggled to keep them straight.

"Fuck that, Nick." Cody scowled. "It is too going to work."

"How, Cody! Just tell me how that's gonna happen." Nick crossed his arms. "Because right now, I'm not seeing it."

Cody crossed his arms, mirroring Nick's pose. "Because we'll make it work. I don't care if I have to build a…a….freaking second story on the Riptide just so you'll have a better place to sleep. We _will_ make this work."

"And what happens the next time Murray makes a wrong turn in the dark and winds up…" Nick didn't want to finish that sentence. It wasn't like he minded Murray accidently crawling in bed with him, but it was just one more example of the problem at hand – Nick was the square wheel on this tricycle and felt every rough spot they hit.

Cody snorted out a laugh, "Come on, Nick. I trust you and I trust Murray. You'll just turn him around or…well, you won't and then next time I'll take pictures of you wrapped around him like he's your Teddy Bear. It _was_ kind of adorable."

"And very warm." Murray, his hair still a ruffled mess, was now peeking over Cody's shoulder. "Is the coffee ready?"

Nick blinked and forced his arms to uncross, "Yeah, Boz, just about."

"Great," Murray ducked past Cody and popped some toast in the toaster. "I feel a little queasy. How much wine did I drink anyway?"

"Too much." Nick and Cody said simultaneously, setting off Murray's laugh.

"Well, I'm sure that's right," Murray agreed. "Hey, are you guys busy later on?"

Nick looked at Cody and shrugged. "I'm not."

"Me either. Why?"

"Oh… silly me," Murray peeked in the top of the toaster. "I forgot to tell you that I talked to Papa Antonio yesterday about renting that little office he has over by the kite shop."

"What do we need an office for, Murray?" Nick frowned, "That's kind of the idea of this being the Riptide Detective Agency, because the Riptide is our office."

"Oh, yeah. I know that, Nick. But, well, when you two started the agency you hadn't realized the advantages or the scope that adding computers to the job would entail, so you didn't plan for it. So…well…the office is only about a hundred yards away and it's big enough for all my equipment and then some… and really, I've been wanting to add a couple more processing units and – "

Nick put his hand on Murray's shoulder, halting his ramble, "And you thought that moving your equipment would leave us with an empty cabin so that we wouldn't be so crowded all the time?"

"Well, yeah," Murray continued. "It just makes sense. Plus, if we need to see two different clients at the same time we have an alternative to—"

Cody wrapped his arms around Murray from the other side, "Murray, you're a genius."

"So I've been told," Murray's eyes sparkled. "A genius with a lousy sense of direction."

"But you do make a great Teddy Bear."

 

*fin*

**Author's Note:**

> A bit more of this 'verse....also by the wondrous Speak_me_fair...can be found here: [Wave Properties](http://pier56.livejournal.com/252283.html)


End file.
